Over 40 years ago one of my professors recommended that I read Roland Bainton. I think he was meant Bainton's work on Luther but this book about Erasmus was worth it too. Erasmus was right in the middle of the Renaissance and the Reformation. His ideas were far ahead of the most of the educated world. He was for toleration, peace and openness at a time when heretics were still burned at the stake and political enemies of kings were beheaded. Erasmus stood in the middle, friends with Henry VIII and Thomas More and several Popes. His work on the New Testament paved the way for scholars to look at it critically. His humor and satire still make me laugh nearly 500 years later. I think Bainton has really done justice to Erasmus. Other writers accused Erasmus of having a weak character because he avoided conflict and in some cases refused to take a stand. Some in the reformed party thought he was weak because he would not leave the Catholic Church. Others in the Catholic party claimed that Erasmus failed the Church because he would not condemn the reformers and had many reformation ideas himself. I have read several books about Erasmus and I would like to say that Erasmus of Christendom is one of the better ones. ( )

Well structured book on the life of Erasmus. Conveys that Erasmus was always trying to position himself as a peacemaker, and trying to avoid contention and violence as much as possible. However, in the end the result was that he supported neither 'side' and was disliked by both - the Reformers and the traditional Roman church.

Interesting that his first name 'Desiderius' is never mentioned. ( )

This is a well written book. It covers a life which is difficult to describe, without allowing one's personal prejudices to come to the fore: Erasmus is one of those people about whom, it is hard not to be either firmly pro, or anti. Mr. Bainton leaves Erasmus to speak for himself wherever possible and, when this is not the case, the author does his utmost to put both sides of any dispute.

The downside of this approach, such as there is one, is that Erasmus sometimes comes across as vacillating or, indeed, just plain calculating. It is, of course entirely possible that he was very careful never to be the one whose head was furthest above the parapet; this may have been sound sense in a time when the removal of that head could be ordered for the eating of an egg in Lent.